Apple is gearing up to release a new smartphone called the iPhone 5S to compete directly against the Samsung Galaxy S4, according to DigiTimes, a high-tech site in Taiwan. Taiwanese Apple suppliers have reportedly been given the heads-up by Apple to prepare for the production of as many as 100,000 units of a major iPhone 5 upgrade in December. Analysts are speculating that Apple is concerned about the new Samsung 1028p screen that will show sharper images on SGS4 than the iPhone.

According to anonymous Samsung sources quoted in the Korea Times, the Galaxy S4 will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress at Barcelona in February, 2013. Korean sources are reporting that the GS4 will be loaded with a quad-core 2.0GHz Exynos 5450 processor, which will be faster than the Nexus 10 chipset.

Insiders are speculating that this new Samsung smartphone will feature an Android 4.2, Jellybean. Its also possible that Google will see this new SGS4 release as an opportunity to launch the next generation Android 5.0 software. The new smartphone may also feature a 13-megapixel camera. These features, though, are not whats of concern to Apple. Its all about screen resolution. Its rumored that the Galaxy S4 will sport the 1080p display. Apple, the company that prides itself as the leader in high-resolution displays, certainly will not want to be upstaged by Samsung.

The rumor mill has Sony, Samsung and LG offering 1920 by 1080 screen resolutions in 2013. That same rumor factory has Samsung preparing a 1080p Super AMOLED panel for launch on the SGS4, perhaps as early as the CES trade show in Las Vegas this coming January. Then again, some rumor peddlers are speculating that Samsung could dump the AMOLED in favor of OLED technology or a flexible YOUM display.

What will Apple do to upgrade its recently released iPhone 5? The company will certainly be challenged to match the new Samsung Galaxy S4. The Droid DNA 440 ppi screen already beats the iPhone 5s 326 ppi in its Retina Display. Perhaps Apple will knock on doors to find a screen resolution edge.

For example, researchers at Japans NIMS International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics recently announced that it made a break-through in developing a metal oxide film transistor. This is the next necessary step thats needed to deliver amorphous silicon transistors which are used to switch pixels in flat panel displays of smartphones, televisions and computers. What this newest technology will do is improve frequency which will result in higher resolutions for displays. This technological tweak could be the edge needed to grow market share, especially in the hot smartphone sector, and help Apple to maintain its reputation as an innovator in screen clarity and resolution.